City Council Wages

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21324, 17 November 1934, Page 14

City Council Wages

Mr D. G. Sullivan's impressions of Australia, recorded in an interviewprinted in " The Press " yesterday, are so fresh and ingenuous that it is difficult to read what he has to say without being pleasantly amused. One of his remarks, however, has an unintentionally ironic flavour which the ratepayers of Christchurch may not enjoy. I found (says Mr Sullivan) that Labour members and others in Australia were enormously interested that a big local body, such as the Christchurch City Council, had been able to maintain wages. They freely believe that statement thought the performance extraordinary and unparalleled. Mr Sullivan seems to take much pride in the thought that, at a time ! when employees of the Government

and of almost all other public and private concerns in the country were compelled to make heavy sacrifices, none of the lower paid employees of the Christchurch' City Council had to forgo one shilling. It does not seem to occur to him that there is merit in equality of sacrifice or that the council, as a public body, had a duty to give its full support to the national movement to assist industry and trade by reducing costs. It does not seem to occur to him that the council's primary concern is the interests of the wholebody of ratepayers and not the interests of any section of its employees. The council's performance was indeed " extraordinary and un- " paralleled"; but even more extraordinary and unparalleled was the docility with which the ratepayers allowed' a public body to be generous at their expense.